Until Dawn Breaks
by starlitpurple
Summary: All they have to do is hold the line. ...But what comes after that? (Set during Chapter 14)
1. Until Dawn Breaks

**Author's Note:** Ok, so this is suuuuuper rough. (Ha!) Apologies! It's been...the better portion of a year since I've written anything (*coughs* NaNo2017 *coughs*), and even longer than that since I've posted any works. FFXV has become one of my more recent obsessions and it's looking like I'm gonna be going all in with this one. It's been a long time since a new (to me) fandom has inspired me enough to write for it. Consider this an experimental piece as I try to get a feel for the characters and get back into the flow of writing once more.

There will be more! (Hopefully! *laughs*) I actually intended for this little ficlet done in 750Words to be something else, but then the build-up to that got me to my goal quicker than expected. I've been doing 750Words daily to help me kick my writing skills into shape, so there could be more as soon as tomorrow! (But seriously though, don't get your hopes up, cause I've always sucked at posting any sort of regular!)

Anyway, that's enough of my blathering. Enjoy! 3

 **Until Dawn Breaks**

 **by starlitpurple**

Chapter 1

The patter of rain wasn't loud enough to mask the retreating footsteps of their King. ...Nor the all too familiar sounds of daemons spawning at their backs. Ignis felt more than heard his companions turn to face the threat, and, casting one last thought to his earliest and best friend, turned toward the noise erupting from the ground behind them.

"Guess this is it," he heard Gladio's deep timber at his left.

He pushed his glasses up with his left hand and then called on his daggers, feeling their hilts materialize in his hands. "One last battle, then. Shall we?"

He wasn't sure his voice would carry around the lump in his throat and was surprised to hear how stable it sounded to his own ears.

Prompto hummed in assent. "For Noct," he said, voice firm, and Ignis found himself immediately repeating his words right along with Gladio.

He heard the whooshing of a giant's sword seconds later and backflipped neatly out of the way before pouring his all into the fray. This would be their last official task as Crownsguard to their King; keep the daemons at bay long enough for Noctis to fulfill the prophecy and bring light back to the world. They absolutely would not fail him now, not after a decade of waiting for this day to come. Noctis would succeed, they would be sure of it.

He just hoped he did it quickly. For every monster he took down, he could feel at least two more taking its place. Every minute he could hear more daemons pulling themselves from the ground or skittering toward them from other parts of the city.

To his right, he heard Prompto utter a grunt of pain before firing off several shots in succession. As soon as he finished off the giant he'd been fighting with his spear, he moved toward Prompto. By the sound of it, he was near completely surrounded by daemons. Ignis could hear his Drillbreaker and knew that he was using it tactically to gain space as well as do a bit of damage to the group. He moved around, skillfully carving a path with his blades, until he was at Prompto's back, bumping shoulders with him to let him know he was there. Then he turned his focus inward momentarily so that he could gain Total Clarity as Prompto successfully got them some maneuvering room. The second the Drillbreaker stopped, Ignis whipped around the sharpshooter and flung his daggers outward, using the full force of his magic imbued weapons.

"Nicely done!" Prompto yelled, a bit winded. "You got a few of them!"

Ignis smiled in his direction as he heard Prompto take out the last of the group. "Alright, then?" he asked, already knowing that he was. He turned toward a slithering sound at his right and started launching his lance at the spot he knew it would be. At the answering screech, he knew he'd made his mark.

"Yeah," Prompto answered from across the way. It sounded like he'd dodged an incoming blow, a few shots ringing out once more. Likely getting himself into a better position. "Thanks for the assist, Iggy!"

He nodded, moving in quickly with his daggers as soon as his spear made contact with the daemon a third time. There was a familiar clang at his back, and he knew that Gladio had blocked a nearby blow, letting out a little grunt at the force of it. Finishing his own daemon off, Ignis knowingly flipped out of the way when Gladio growled and unleashed his Tempest move against the threat. He summoned his own spear as he went, driving it into another enemy.

His feet had no sooner touched the ground when they were swept out from under him and he was sent sprawling. The force of Prompto's Gravisphere almost instantaneously started pulling at whatever had knocked him over.

"They just keep coming," Prompto yelled over the din and the rain. "We won't be able to keep this up much longer!"

"Just. Keep. Fighting," Gladio grunted out, and Ignis could hear the blows he was doling out in between his words. He was sounding quite worn out as well, he noticed as he pushed himself to his feet.

"We can't give up now," Ignis added, backing up a bit and taking a moment to catch his breath while he launched his spear at the daemons still held in place from Prompto's attack.

He could hear the despair enough in his companions voices to know that they weren't really making any sort of dent in the hoards of daemons that were swarming them, but they were succeeding in what they were trying to do, and that was all that mattered right now. Ignoring the niggling voice at the back of his mind that knew that Prompto was right, he threw his all into holding their positions.

Ignis could tell the very moment when Noctis had done what he'd set out to do. There was an intense sort of static in the air, heavy with magic. All around them and all at once, the daemons started disintegrating at their feet. He held firm, daggers still at the ready until he heard the others making their way to him.

"He's done it then," he said when Prompto settled a hand on his arm. He wasn't really asking, he already knew, and the thought left him feeling a sort of elated sadness.

Gladio clapped a hand on his shoulder, a thick note of pride in his voice as he replied. "He has."

Within moments, the rain stopped, a calming serenity in the sudden quiet. Ignis let out a gasp when he felt the warmth on his skin. He couldn't help the smile that tugged at his lips as he whispered, "the sun?"

"It's a beautiful sunrise, Iggy," Gladio uttered, his voice cracking slightly with strain.

He felt Prompto shift beside him, and then the snapping of his camera. "The prettiest," he said, sniffing as he snapped another shot.

"Then...the dawn has come," Ignis said, half to himself. He took a long steadying breath and turned his unseeing gaze to the heavens. With a shuddering sigh, he whispered, "Well done, Noct."


	2. After Dawn Breaks

**Author's Note:** _This_ is the part of the fic I intended to write yesterday! Why I've chosen to write from the pov I'm most unfamiliar with, especially when I use sight a LOT in my writing, I have no idea. Writing a blind person's pov is definitely more challenging than I expected. I hope I've done Ignis at least a bit of justice.

 **Until Dawn Breaks**

 **by starlitpurple**

Chapter 2

They stood there in silence a moment longer, only the soft clicking of Prompto's camera breaking the serenity that had settled almost instantaneously over the city. Which is why Ignis noticed the exact moment something shifted behind them. He didn't know what or who, but suddenly there was a _presence_ there, and he found himself turning a frown over his shoulder.

"Who's there?" he said and heard Prompto's startled intake of breath as the others turned.

"Gentiana!" Came Gladio's surprised gasp.

Ignis blinked rapidly, his eyebrows rising. Gentiana didn't usually commune with them, especially without Noctis around. They hadn't expected to see anything of the Astrals after the prophecy was fulfilled, and, unless something had gone horribly sideways, he had no idea why the Glacian would seek them out now.

"Um, don't take this the wrong way, but why are you here?" Prompto asked, shifting forward slightly toward the presence. His voice started rising as he continued, "Noct did it. The Light is back, the daemons are gone, Arden is-"

"Gone," Gentiana finished for him, her voice calm, yet loud enough to carry over him. "Yes, the King of Kings has fulfilled his duty. The Starscourge has been purged from this world."

"Okay," Gladio said slowly, taking it all in. "Then, why _are_ you here?"

"Because the Lady Lunafreya was very," she paused a moment, seeming to consider her words, "adamant in her plea."

"Her plea for what?" Prompto put in.

"For the Chosen King's life," Gentiana said matter-of-factly, as though she were telling them something as obvious as the sky being blue.

Ignis gasped, his whole body jerking at Gentiana's words. Not daring to hope too much, he found words tumbling brokenly out of his mouth anyway. "And...have the Gods...acquiesced this plea?"

The smile was there in her words as she responded, "They have." She paused a moment, then continued, "but your King has need of you still. You must go to him now."

Before any of them could react, there was a familiar whooshing sense of energy in front of them, and Ignis knew that she had gone.

"Well," Gladio breathed out the moment they were alone again. "That was nice of them."

"We shall see," Ignis replied, cautiously.

"Let's go," Prompto said, a little desperate as his feet pounded up the front steps of the Citadel.

He followed immediately, feeling Gladio moving briskly at his side.

Ignis thought back to the visions Pryna had shown him in Altissia all those years ago. How would they find their King? He'd known how it ended, how they would have found him...otherwise. How could Noctis survive that?

It took them mere minutes to get to the throne room. Much faster than it had taken earlier that evening, their quick footsteps unimpeded by the Kings of Old or Arden this time. His feet had followed the path through the place he'd memorized at an early age without having to even think about it.

They paused only a moment at the large heavy doors of the throne room, and then Gladio was pushing them open.

He felt the other two freeze as they took in whatever view was in front of them. Prompto's choked sob was nearly enough to tell him what he wanted to know, but he had to have the truth.

"Is he...?" he started, not really knowing what he wanted to say. _Dead? Alive? Breathing? ...Unharmed?_ , he dared to think.

Gladio swallowed audibly, and Ignis heard the others start to move. "He...he's pinned to the throne, Iggy," he said tightly.

That spurred him into action more than anything else, and he found himself bounding up the steps, taking them as quickly and efficiently as if he'd never lost his sight. When he reached the top, he slowed until his knee bumped into Prompto's frame kneeling on the floor to the left of the throne. He reached out then, stepping around the blond. His hand bumped lightly against metal, and in his mind's eye, he knew it was the Sword of the Father holding Noctis in place. He stretched his hand further, moving to Noctis's right side, and his fingers met with still slightly warm, damp, fabric. Guiding his hand up and along his collar, he found his neck and placed two fingers against his pulse point. His skin was warm.

He didn't know how, but there was a very faint thrumming under his fingertips. "There's a heartbeat," he said aloud. And, now that he was listening for it, he could hear the very shallow rasps of breath coming from their charge.

"What is this?" Gladio growled out, anger threading his words.

It sounded as though he were demanding an answer from them, and Ignis turned his head toward the King's Shield standing behind him in front of the throne.

The soft voice that answered almost startled him. He'd been so focused on Noctis that he hadn't noticed Gentiana's return.

"It is the will of the Astrals," she told them, calmly.

" _The will of the Astrals_ ," Gladio repeated. "The will of the Astrals is to bring him back to _this_?" There was a rustle of fabric punctuating his demanded question.

His voice seemed to break Prompto out of his vigil at Noctis's other side. "Gladio!" he called out.

The Shield ignored him, his voice holding a threatening lilt as he continued. "I don't know what kind of plea the Oracle made to you, but I doubt it was to see him suffer more than he already has. He's done his dues, leave him be!"

Ignis stood unmoving, his hands still resting on Noctis, feeling guiltily reassured by the warmth and proof that their king was still alive as Gladio yelled at the presence before them.

"If you wish him to live, you must get him down from there," Gentiana said, ignoring Gladio's outburst.

He heard Gladio's intake of breath, readying himself for another flurry of words and he reached out, digging his fingers into the Crownsguard jacket when they made purchase with the material. "Gladio," he whispered softly. The longer they argued about this, the longer Noctis definitely _would_ suffer for it. "Please, let's do as she says."

The shoulder slumped under his grasp, and Gladio let out a long, loud huff of air as he turned back to face them. He stood there a moment, and Ignis imagined he was steeling himself for what they had to do. Finally, he shifted, and Ignis moved back to stand next to the throne.

"Prompto," Gladio said gently. "I'm gonna need you and Ignis to hold him up."

Prompto's voice cracked around his short reply. "Right."

He sniffed, and Ignis could hear him audibly swallowing as he placed his own hands back on Noctis's shoulder. Together, they gently pushed the King's slumping body back against the throne. Noctis's head lolled to the side, chin resting against Ignis' hand. He wheezed a little harder with the movement but was thankfully still unconscious.

"Ready?" Gladio asked after a moment.

Ignis shifted his feet, firmly planting them on the floor and leaned his weight forward toward the throne, putting pressure behind his hands.

"Ready," Prompto answered, and Ignis nodded back to his friend.

"Do it, Gladiolus," he said, keeping his words as steady and commanding as he could manage. Though he knew Gladio would never admit to it, he needed the order in his words. And Ignis would do his best to give him the strength he needed right now, in whatever way he could.

The air shifted as Gladio moved forward. His boot scuffed against the seat of the throne where he planted it for leverage, and then the movement stopped.

Ignis didn't stop bracing himself, keeping ready for when Gladio steeled his resolve. He was about to say something to spur him along when Gladio sucked in a deep breath and _tugged_. The sudden force of the blade being pulled away jerked Noctis's body forward, but Ignis held him firmly against the seat of the throne. Prompto's soft pants accompanying his own as they held him steady.

The sword clattered to the ground at their feet and then Gladio was leaning into them, easing Noctis forward enough to get an arm around him. Ignis moved out of the way as he lifted him, and followed as he slowly and carefully descended the steps to the base of the throne room. Noctis's wheezing rasps were much worse now, echoing all around the chamber, and Ignis squeezed his eyes shut as he tried to calm his fraying nerves.

"What now?" Ignis asked when they'd reached the bottom, hoping his voice didn't sound quite as desperate as he felt.

"Here," Gentiana's voice came from his right. "Please lay him down."

Gladio grunted softly as he knelt, knee popping as he lay Noctis gently on the tile of the throne room.

Ignis felt Prompto move past him, sliding to his knees on the floor beside them. "Noct," he nearly sobbed. He took a ragged breath and then turned his words toward the Glacian. "If you're going to do something magic-y to save him, now is the time!"

There was a beat of silence where only Noctis's wet gasping breaths could be heard. Then the air around them seemed to shift again, and for one wild moment, Ignis thought Gentiana had left them.

"Now _is_ the time," an entirely different voice said into the quiet.

"Lady Lunafreya," Ignis exclaimed in surprise, bowing his head in reverence even as he spoke.

"The Chosen King's destiny is fulfilled," she said, voice firm with conviction and Ignis felt as though her words weren't meant for them, but the Astrals themselves. "The Crystal and the Ring of the Lucii are now replete, and the power of the Oracle is nearly drained, as well."

She paused and Ignis felt her presence move closer to them. He could hear Gladio and Prompto moving back away from Noctis to stand by his side.

Quieter now, Lunafreya continued, "That may be so, but I will use the very last bit of my abilities that the King may live."

Ignis waited with baited breath, straining his ears to hear what was happening in front of him. He sensed more than felt the faint magic of her healing touch and internally prayed that it would be enough.

Noctis's ragged breathing turned to a much more desperate gasping groan, and then he was coughing and gagging loudly as he tried to catch his breath. He took several more painful breaths and groaned loudly again.

"Lu...na?" he barely rasped out. It triggered another coughing fit that had him nearly gagging once more.

She shushed him softly. "Be still, my King," she chastised gently.

A few more moments went by with nothing but Noctis's increasingly less frantic breathing as he expelled the fluids restricting his airway. A soft moan escaping every few gasps.

"Luna," he tried again, and his voice was a little stronger now, coming out in a whisper. "What?" he said, sounding completely dazed. "I don't-"

"They will explain, Your Majesty," she said, halting his words. Then she shifted and continued, "I have done all that I can do. The last of the Oracle's magic has been expended. His wounds are no longer fatal, but he will still need to recover." There was a pause and more shifting, and then she said, softer, "I pray that you may live a long life. Become the great King that you were always meant to be, Noctis."

"Luna." The sorrowful note in Noctis's voice was hard to hear. Ignis knew there was so much that the King wanted to say to Lunafreya, but he heard him swallow thickly and utter a faint, "thank you," around a shuttering breath.

She must have stood then. He could feel her focusing on the three of them once more. "It isn't my place, and it seems almost criminal to ask any more from any of you, but I would ask that you once more dedicate your lives to him, so that he may live the fullest life. Let him be the King of Light that leads the people of Eos out of the darkness and into a new world, free of the Starscourge."

"Of course," Ignis answered immediately, tipping his head toward her once more.

"It isn't even a question," Gladio said firmly. "The King's Shield is for life."

"Always by your side," Prompto uttered, and Ignis imagined he was speaking to Noctis rather than Lunafreya herself.

"I leave him to you, then," she said.

The air shifted then, and Ignis knew that they were finally, truly, alone with their King.

The rest of the world might be seeing the light of a sun they hadn't in a decade, but here in this half-collapsed throne room, his King blessedly _alive_ and the other two companions he cared most about in the world here with him, it was the brightest day Ignis had had in a long time.

* * *

 **A/N:** There may be more to this. I have some vague ideas about where I want it to go, but I rather like this as is. Thoughts?

Thanks for reading! :)


	3. For A Moment

_Notes:_ So, _clearly_ I did want more from this. *amused* I...honestly don't even know what I'm doing with this fic anymore, lol! But I wanted more from this scene, and I'd also been wanting to try writing Noctis, so...have it again, from his side of things. (Also, on a side note, I'm changing up the formatting for these chapters, because this is easier for me.)

 _Chapter 3: For a Moment_

For a moment, he was done.

He'd sat the throne, absorbed the power of the Lucian Kings into the Ring, and fought Ardyn in the Beyond, finally ridding the world of the scourge plaguing it at last.

For a moment, there was nothing.

...And then, there was.

He was back in the Beyond, floating limply where he'd collapsed, feeling just as wrecked and weak as he had moments ago. Half of his right side burned from the Ring of the Lucii's release of power, and he felt as if his whole body had been split in two. The pain was nearly all he could focus on.

Was this what the afterlife was like? Had he messed up somewhere? Was there a way to screw up purging a soul on another plane of existence?

"You did well, Noctis," came a familiar voice.

He let his head slowly turn in the direction of the voice.

Luna was there, coming toward him. "Your suffering will soon end," she said, and she knelt by his side, reaching out to touch his face. The pain started to recede at her touch. "Although, I am sorry that you must endure it for even a moment."

He leaned into her hand, closing his eyes. "What do you mean?" he asked through the fire in his throat, voice coming out like gravel.

Silence met his question, the slow movement of her fingers on his cheek the only reassurance that she was still there. The silence carried on long enough that he forced his eyes open to look at her, and found her frowning down at him.

He was about to speak, to ask her why she was frowning, when she looked up, caught his eye, and asked, "What-what is it you want most, Noctis?"

His brow creased at her seemingly out-of-place question and she went on, waving a hand, palm up, toward him. "For yourself." She took a breath and went on. "If there were a way that you could have survived this, would you want to?"

"I-," he started, then swallowed. He'd wanted to live. He hadn't wanted to leave his three most cherished companions to fix the world on their own once the Starscourge was gone. That should have been his job. He was the King, the last of his line. It should have fallen to him to bring peace to the world. _Break down the borders_ , he had once said to Prompto. His heart panged with grief at the now empty promise. He'd wanted so much for the world and he'd never be able to do any of it. Because he was the Chosen King and his duty was to seek out the powers of the world and die to bring back the light-not rule a nation.

Luna was still looking at him, calmly waiting for an answer. Her hand still rested on him and its touch was like a shield holding back the intensity of the near agony he'd been feeling moments before. It wasn't actually healing him, he knew, just keeping the worst of the pain at bay.

"If there had been any other way," he told her, trying not to let his emotions take hold and feeling his throat getting tight anyway. "I would have wanted to stay with them. I was meant to be the King. Not only in name alone or to fulfill some ancient prophecy..." He took a long breath and felt a tear slide unbidden down his face. "I just wanted to be the king my father wanted me to be."

Luna gave him a watery smile, gently wiping away his tear.

"You already are, Noctis."

She moved a hand to his chest and the burning there started to ebb. He closed his eyes and heard her whisper a soft, 'thank you', and then he felt the power of the Oracle flowing into him. When he opened his eyes once more, Luna was still in his vision, but he was no longer in the Beyond, the steps of the throne room and Gentiana at her back. The intensity of the pain had returned full force, and he struggled to even suck air into his lungs. The tang of blood was on his tongue and he turned his head to the side as he coughed and retched.

"Lu-na," he barely got out around his constricted airway and he leaned sideways, heaving some more as he tried to catch his breath.

Luna pushed against his chest with slightly more force than before, holding him in place. "Be still, my King," she whispered, and he focused on her as he lay there gasping for air.

His thoughts scrambled for purchase around the myriad of sensations coursing through him. None of this made any sense. What was actually happening? _Could_ his life be spared? Was that what Luna had been asking? Could she do that? Would this undo his sacrifice? ...Was any of this even real?

It was getting easier to breathe. There was still an awful gurgle every time he drew in a breath, but he wasn't nearly as panicked as he had been, which helped. He chanced speaking once more. He needed to understand.

"Luna." His voice came out a gravelly whisper, and somehow he managed not to cough. Her eyes shifted to his, and he continued. "What-?" He drug in a breath. "I don't-"

"They will explain, Your Majesty," she answered, smiling at him a moment in apology then tipping her head upward.

Noctis turned his head in the direction she was looking. His three retainers stood there, quietly watching.

"I have done all that I can do," Luna told them. "The last of the Oracle's magic has been expended. His wounds are no longer fatal, but he will still need to recover."

He saw Gladio nod, and then Luna was turning back to him and taking his hand in her own. He drew his eyes up to meet hers.

"I pray that you may live a long life," she told him, and a tear slid down her cheek. "Become the great King that you were always meant to be, Noctis." _That you already are,_ went unspoken, but he saw it there in her gaze.

"Luna," his voice came out on a sob, and he felt his throat closing up for an entirely different reason. He felt the tears he'd been holding back slip free, and he could only manage to utter a small "thank you" in return.

It wasn't enough. It would never be enough. She had given so much for him- _always_ for him. She deserved more than just his gratitude.

She seemed to understand and smiled sadly, reaching out to caress his cheek gently. It lasted a moment, and then she was standing and looking toward Gladio, Prompto, and Ignis once more.

"It isn't my place, and it seems almost criminal to ask any more from any of you," Luna addressed them, stepping carefully around him. "But I would ask that you once more dedicate your lives to him, so that he may live the fullest life. Let him be the King of Light that leads the people of Eos out of the darkness and into a new world, free of the Starscourge."

Their answering voices were the balm he needed, and he found himself smiling back at them as they reassured Luna. Ignis had bowed his head, answering instantly without hesitation; Gladio stood ever tall, unwavering pride as a Shield in his stance as well as his voice; and Prompto, face brimming with tears, saluted him as he uttered the words he'd said so many times in the past.

"I leave him to you, then," she finished. She turned back and bowed her head to him, letting her eyes slip closed as she did. He nodded back when she opened them, and then, like a flower petal in the wind, she was gone.

 _Notes:_ Thank you for reading! I have quite a bit more written for this, so I will try to get more chapters up soon! :)


	4. For A Moment (part 2)

_Notes:_ The Bros take care of Noctis. Picks up where the last chapter left off. Noctis pov. Lots of h/c feels. I wasn't super happy with how this one turned out, but I hope you all enjoy all the same! :)

 _Chapter 4: For a Moment (part 2)_

As soon as Luna had gone, Prompto collapsed to his knees at his side and started sobbing outright. He held himself upright with one hand, reaching out with his other to rest it on Noctis's shoulder. Noctis merely watched him as tears continued to flow down his own cheeks, trying to focus on his breathing and still kind of unsure about everything that had just happened.

Ignis knelt beside Prompto, placing a hand on the sharpshooter's shoulder, both for leverage and comfort, squeezing it gently once he'd lowered himself to the floor. He stretched a hand out toward Noctis, prodding the air until his fingers landed against his wrist. Noctis turned his hand as much as he could where it rested against his abdomen and squeezed Ignis's fingers.

He wanted to speak. He wanted to say so much to them right now, but he could still feel the leftover blood and gunk in his throat and chest and doing anything more than just breathing and trying to work the rest of it out was hard enough without complicating it with speaking. While the pain was nowhere near where it had been when he'd...come back to himself, he could feel himself shaking and he still absolutely ached everywhere.

"You're shaking," Ignis whispered, his thumb ghosting over Noctis's knuckles.

Gladio huffed softly from where he still stood.

"Geez, you two are gonna smother him before he even has a chance," he admonished, though his words held no bite. He moved forward then, coming around to Noctis's other side.

When he joined them on the floor, Ignis raised an eyebrow in his direction. "Yes?" he said pointedly.

Gladio threw him a look, that Ignis was absolutely aware of by the unamused tilt of his head, but didn't retort. Noctis felt his lip quirk at the familiarity of it all and when he looked toward him, Gladio spared a moment to share in his amusement. Then his face sobered and he threw a hand into the fringe that had escaped his ponytail over the course of the night. He looked completely haggard; they all did.

Some of the muck chose that moment to dislodge from his throat and he choked on a gasp, throwing him into a violent coughing fit that had him out of breath in seconds. He couldn't stop long enough to get a decent breath in and he felt that earlier panic starting to settle in the back of his mind once more.

He was barely aware of the hands on him, turning him on his side while he gasped and choked. Someone was pounding his back, and then he was hacking and spitting blood and muck onto the floor. He lay there gasping and spitting while he caught his breath, the panic slowly receding with the help of whispered words of comfort at his back. The fire had reignited across his chest and his throat felt like it had had sandpaper dragged over it, but the awful gurgle in his lungs was gone. He felt like the majority of the extra blood was now more on the outside, at least, finding it much easier to draw in a breath without constantly feeling like he was going to choke on it.

When his short, shallow pants started to even out a bit, he cast his eyes up from the floor. Gladio was directly in front of him, his hand planted on Noctis's arm where he was holding him steady. Prompto was at his side watching him worriedly and Noctis realized he was clutching his hand in his own. Ignis was speaking softly at his back, rubbing it gently and telling him when to breathe in a calm tone. He'd heard him when his mind was in a panic, and his voice had helped to get his breathing back under control.

He hauled in a larger breath this time, intending to ask one of the myriad questions plaguing him at the moment. Gladio held a hand up then, shaking his head, and he let it out on a half groan that came out like more of a soundless wheeze than anything.

"Don't try to talk," he told him, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Just get yourself under control first so we can assess you and figure out what you need."

Noctis threw him a half-glare for his admonishment but relented.

His gaze shifted to Prompto. He'd seemed to have gotten himself mostly under control during his coughing fit, no longer sobbing uncontrollably. He offered him a watery smile and squeezed his hand. "Hey, buddy. That got a little dicey there for a minute, but it looks like Luna had your back all along."

He huffed but frowned at them in question.

"Gentiana came to us, after you, uh...after," Prompto finished awkwardly, his thumb tracing a pattern into the back of his hand.

Gentiana had? That made even less sense. He could feel the crease of his brow deepen.

Ignis hummed in agreement. "She told us that Luna had made a plea to the Astrals and asked us to go to you."

Gladio let out a small chuckle. "Sounded like she told them off, actually."

"Indeed," Ignis replied, amusement and relief coloring his voice.

Noctis tried clearing his throat, letting out a small cough. "Water," he half-grunted on a whispered breath, ignoring Gladio's previous order.

At first, he wasn't sure he'd even been heard, but then Prompto jumped as if he'd been burned.

"Oh!" he said and pulled his hand out of his. "Yeah, hold on."

He pushed himself to his feet and sprinted around them, and Noctis could hear his plodding footsteps as they sounded up the steps toward the throne.

Ignis reached around him in Prompto's absence and he could feel him undoing what buttons were left of his shirt. His usual gloves were off; the warmth of his fingertips brushed across the still-sensitive skin over his breastbone and he hissed softly through his teeth.

Ignis murmured a soft apology and trailed his hands upward to undo the last of the buttons. "We need to get this off to gauge how bad the damage is," he said as he diligently made quick work of the rest of the buttons. "Although, it felt as though the wound was closed, at least?"

The last of his sentence tilted up in a question, as if he wasn't quite sure, but wasn't going to go poking at it again just yet to find out.

"Yeah," Gladio answered, helping Ignis pull his shirt open, half-untucking it from his trousers in the process. "It looks really red, but there's also a lot of blood still. It's kind of hard to tell, but it definitely looks closed up."

"If barely," Prompto put in, grimacing slightly as he knelt back into the spot he'd abandoned moments before. He reached into the satchel he'd brought along with them on their journey and pulled out a canteen, unscrewing the top. "There's still quite a bit here. I filled it up when we were at the Glaive's base camp."

Gladio was turning him then, slightly shifting him more onto his back so that he could support his head, tipping it up so that he could drink. Noctis wasn't able to bite back the low groan he let out with the movement, feeling a shudder roll through him at the renewed pain. He'd squeezed his eyes shut momentarily, only realizing it when he was opening them once more.

Prompto had scooted forward, leaning against him a bit as he held the canteen up to his lips. He waited until Noctis nodded, then said, "Be careful, Noct. Little sips," as he slowly tipped the container forward.

The water helped immensely, doing wonders for his raw throat. He found he only had the strength to take very small sips anyway, even if he did feel like gulping down the entire container. Prompto held it there until he pulled his head back, and then Gladio lowered him back to the floor.

"Thanks," he said, and found it wasn't nearly as painful or as difficult to speak as before. His voice came out almost steady, even.

Prompto nodded as he recapped the canteen. "There's more here if you need it, just let me know."

Ignis had produced a cloth from somewhere and started gently scrubbing it over his torso, wiping away some of the blood. He was avoiding the center of his chest, making only the gentlest of passes when he got near it. Gladio took it from him after a moment, used a bit of Prompto's water to get it wet, then worked on the places Ignis had missed.

Noctis closed his eyes at their ministrations, letting himself drift with his thoughts.

It had been Luna that had asked the Astrals to save him, then. How did she have enough power to bring him back? He'd been-he was dead, wasn't he? Did Gentiana help her somehow?

"She asked me what I wanted." The words fell unbidden from his mouth.

The hands on him stopped moving, and he opened his eyes.

"Lady Lunafreya?" Ignis asked.

He nodded. "Yeah. I-," he started and found himself overwhelmed with emotion once more. He took a breath and steeled his voice. "I got rid of him-Ardyn, in the Beyond...the Kings of Lucis and I..." Luna had been there too, and the three of his retainers, but he didn't say it. "We did it...with the power of the ring," he finished, holding up his right hand. The ring was gone and he marveled at that for a moment. He could still feel the remnants of the power that had burned through him like lava, crawling up his body from the ring on his finger, and was mildly surprised to find that his arm wasn't ashen.

"And then," he continued, his breath stuttering a bit, "and then it was over and I was gone."

"Then what happened?" Prompto asked, frowning at him. "Did you just wake up here? No wonder you were confused."

Noctis shook his head, frowning. "I-I was gone. It was over," he said again. "And...And then I was back in the Beyond, and Luna was there."

"And," Ignis went on after a moment. "She asked you what you wanted."

He held back a wince as Gladio went back to cleaning him, drawing his eyes toward Ignis. "She asked what I would have wanted, had I been given any other option."

Gladio huffed an amused grunt at him. "You must have sold her on whatever you said to her, then."

Noctis smiled up at him.

"What did you tell her?" Prompto asked.

He cleared his throat and it worked up a bit more of the fluid and flem. He turned his head and spit to the side, then looked toward the canteen still in Prompto's hand. His friend understood without him having to ask, and moved to open it as Noctis replied. "I told her that I wasn't done yet."

Gladio paused, setting the cloth on his leg, and reached under his head once more to help him take another drink.

"Of course you did," he said, half mocking, half laughing, as Noctis sipped.

The pride was there in his voice though, and it made Noctis glad to hear. So often in the past he'd disappointed and frustrated his Shield. A small part of him had wondered what his retainers would have wanted for themselves. Their lives belonged to him...maybe they had wanted to go off on their own, have their own lives, once he had gone...

But then he thought of how they'd responded to Luna's plea, rededicating themselves to him without hesitation, nothing but unwavering pride and gratitude in their voices.

Ignis's hand found his and squeezed it, and Noctis wondered for a moment if he'd rambled his thoughts out loud. "I'm glad," he uttered softly, and Noctis realized that he was crying once more.

"Ignis," he whispered, squeezing his hand in return.

He bowed his head, wiping his eyes with his other hand, but stayed silent.

"Okay," Gladio interrupted and gave them both a concerned glance before continuing, "Iggy can you help me with him? Hold him up so I can get his shirt off?"

The distraction seemed to be just what the Advisor needed. Ignis nodded and slid his hand out of Noctis's grip, shifting up closer to his shoulder.

Painstakingly slowly, they eased him into a sitting position. Prompto had moved forward to help while they removed what was left of his Kingly Raiment. Noctis had ended up leaning into him, forehead resting against his shoulder, while Gladio cleaned and checked his back.

"Well?" Prompto asked after a moment of listening to Noctis's soft panted moans every time Gladio moved the cloth over the most sensitive part of his back. "It's closed up too, right?"

"It is," Noctis replied, not waiting for Gladio to answer. "S'just..." he paused, sucking in a breath as he made another pass, "Really tender."

"What are we gonna do with him?" Prompto asked, and Noctis could feel him shifting to look down at him. "I mean, we can't carry you all the way back into the subway tunnel. Well, I mean we _could_ , but it's a little impractical."

"We can use the rooms here in the Citadel," Ignis supplied. "It seems almost completely structurally intact, at least. Is there still electricity?"

"There is," Gladio replied.

"Good," he said, a note of decision in his voice. "Then we have everything we need right now. We'll stay here."


End file.
